Lea Marcaccini
Lea Marcaccini is a stylist and artist whose collages and drawings burst with colour and experience. This starts to make more sense when you find out that she grew up on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Having been featured in a stack of publications (i-D, Vogue, W Magazine, The Ingenue) Lea is a busy bee to say the least - we manage to grab five minutes with her and talk all things work, inspiration and zebras.
Thank you so much for being our Miss March! How would you sum up your personal style in 3 words?
Perhaps indiscrete, colourful, with a pinch of sass!
On your website it mentions your childhood: "born and raised in a nature reserve on the Pacific coast of Mexico" - could you tell us a little bit more?
Absolutely! My family owns a magical nature reserve/eco hotel called Cuixmala. My siblings and I were beyond lucky to grow up amongst the colourful, vibrant lush jungle of west coast Mexico. We were surrounded by an abundance of different animals - birds, crocodiles, jaguars, turtles, deers… and believe it or not zebras!
My sister Gaia and I were homeschooled there and later on when the community around us began to grow - my family opened up Cuixmala school. Our younger siblings attended the school as well local and foreign children. I must say is a dream come true. You must come visit us!
Your work spans collage, drawing, photography. What keeps you inspired?
That is a very good question! I tend to collect inspiration everywhere I look. Consciously & subconsciously, I pick fragments of what I come across in day to day life and store it in my mind, or, living in the world of millennials, in my iCloud. With todays’ visual overload it could be said that it is hard not to feel inspired, but with so much of it at our disposal it can sometimes be tricky to find an understanding of where to start and to find what really resonates with one personally. But having a clear mind and letting it wander will never cease to be the best way to get inspired.
Do you think your work has affected the way you dress?
I would be lying if I said otherwise, at the end of the day, our bodies can be interpreted as our living canvas!
What was your journey like getting into the art world?
Growing up I loved collaging, sewing and later I began loving taking photographs. It was at the age of 18 that a series of events lead me to having to find different sources of entertainment whilst away on holiday. Playing with the infinitely entertaining realm within one's mind happened to be one of them. Exploring and playing. I began drawing which was a medium I rarely indulged in but rapidly became passionate about.
It was then I introduced these mediums to one another and watched their relationships blossom and unfold, creating what are today some of my favorite pieces so far.
Last piece of clothing you gave away?
A pink Juicy Couture hoodie which I still, to this day, very much regret parting ways with.
For those who haven't visited Mexico - where should we be going?
Cuixmala!!
And while we're in Mexico, what should we be eating?
Apart from the obvious delicious cuisine Mexico has to offer, I would try this very strange Mexican sweet called ‘Cachetadas’. It's tamarindo flavoured - along with Nopal cactus to balance those blood sugars. Let it work its healing powers on your unique and beautiful body!
What's coming up for Lea Marcaccini?
This I may not reveal, but you must wait and see! Keep your eyes peeled and your imagination running.
Finally a question we ask all of our Preen Line girls - what are the top 3 tracks on your playlist right now?
Quite the intimate question! I love it.
Mentira (Chega de Mentira) - Marcos Valle
Mr White - Krhuangbin
Babe Heaven – Moving on
And a 4th one for good luck: Nicholas Larsen - Vibes
Photography by the amazing Eva K. Salvi - @evaksalvi
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